Pioneers of 1960s rock and folk. The creator of trop-rock. A queen of rock and roll and a legendary guitarist. Ireland’s punk poet. Songwriters who transported listeners someplace else. In 2023, music lost greats, including Tony Bennett, Burt Bacharach, Harry Belafonte, David Crosby, and Tina Turner, among so many more.
On January 1, Southern female rapper Gangsta Boo died at age 43. A day later, Alan Rankine, who produced the Cocteau Twins and co-founded the post-punk and New Wave band The Associates, died at 64, and “Mr. Big Stuff” singer Jean Knight died on January 26 at 80. Television founder Tom Verlaine also died on January 28 at 73.
By spring, Tom Leadon, a founding member of Tom Petty‘s original band, Mudcrutch, passed away on March 22 at 70. A day later, Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale” co-writer Keith Reid also died at 76. The Script’s co-founder and guitarist Mark Sheehan died on April 14 at 46. Tim Bachman, one of the four founding members of Bachman–Turner Overdrive died at 71 on April 28, and followed his brother Robbie, who died several months earlier on January 12 at 69.
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[RELATED: In Memoriam: Artists We Lost in 2022]
Former Urge Overkill drummer Johnny “Blackie Onassis” Rowan died at 57 on June 13. Singer, actress, and fashion icon Jane Birkin died at 76 on July 16. Former keyboardist of The Kinks, John Gosling, also died on August 4 at 75, and the “My Boyfriend’s Back” songwriter Bob Feldman also passed away at 83 on August 23.
Later in the year, country singer and songwriter Charlie Robison died at 59 on September 10. “Durham Town” singer, songwriter, and expert whistler British folk artist Roger Whittaker died at 87 on September 13, while Terry Kirkman who wrote hits “Cherish” and “Everything That Touches You” with the pop group The Associate died at 83 on September 23. Founding Kool & the Gang member drummer and songwriter George Brown also died on November 17 at 74.
The number of artists who died in 2023 is plentiful, and though many may not be represented on this list, here’s an abbreviated tribute in remembrance of the singers, songwriters, and musicians we lost this year.
Jeff Beck
June 24, 1944 – January 10, 2023
Born in Wallington, Surrey in 1944, Jeff Beck started using his homemade guitar as a teenager and rose to fame as a member of the Yardbirds (1965-1966). He later fronted the Jeff Beck Group by the late ’60s, which helped kickstart Rod Stewart‘s career, along with Beck, Bogert & Appice, formed in 1972. Beck released his 11th and final album, Loud Hailer, in 2016 and a collaborative album with Johnny Depp, 18, in 2022. Beck died on January 10 from bacterial meningitis at the age of 78. Read more HERE.
Lisa Marie Presley
February 1, 1968 – January 12, 2023
Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968, Lisa Marie Presley released her debut album, To Whom it May Concern, in 2003, which went to No. 5 on the Billboard 200. Her second album Now What, in 2005 also peaked at No. 9. Presley released a third album in 2012 Storm & Grace, and collaborated with everyone from Pat Benatar, Billy Corgan, Richard Hawley, and more. Presley died on January 12 at age 54 after suffering a cardiac arrest. Read more HERE.
David Crosby
August 14, 1941 – January 18, 2023
Born in Los Angeles in 1941, David Crosby founded The Byrds in 1964. The band earned their first hit a year later with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.” By 1968, he co-founded Crosby, Stills & Nash and the band’s breakthrough eponymous album was elevated by the addition of Neil Young in 1970 and three more consecutive No. 1 albums: Déjà Vu, 4-Way Street, and So Far. Crosby also released his solo debut in 1971, If Only I Could Remember My Name, before teaming up with Nash for Crosby & Nash in 1972. Crosby released his eighth and final solo album For Free in 2021. He died on January 18 at the age of 81. Read more HERE.
Burt Bacharach
May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023
Hits like “What the World Needs Now,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” and “Walk on By,” just touch the surface of Burt Bacharach‘s influential book of songs. Often pairing up with lyricist Hal David, Bacharach was behind chart-topping songs performed by Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield, and Herb Alpert, among many others. Bacharach died at age 94. Read more HERE.
Gary Rossington
December 4, 1951 – March 5, 2023
The last original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, guitarist Gary Rossington died on March 5 at 71. A founding member of the legendary Southern rock band, Rossington survived the tragic plane crash in 1977 that claimed the lives of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines and seriously injured the remaining band members. Also playing in The Rossington Band and The Rossington Collins Band, the guitarist became the last surviving original member in 2009, following the death of keyboardist Billy Powell. Read more HERE.
Harry Belafonte
March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023
Born on March 1, 1927, in Harlem, New York, Harry Belafonte rose to fame by the 1950s by popularizing calypso music on his 1956 album of the same name. Calypso was the first million-selling album by a solo artist and included his “Banana Boat Song.” Throughout his career, the actor and musician’s recordings also spanned multiple genres, including gospel, folk, and blues. Once a close confidant of Martin Luther King Jr., Belafonte remained a devoted activist and humanitarian throughout his life. He died from congestive heart failure on April 25 at the age of 96. Read more HERE.
Andy Rourke
January 17, 1964 – May 19, 2023
Founding bassist of The Smiths, Andy Rourke died on May 19 at 59 after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer. Born January 17, 1964, Rourke first met his future bandmate Johnny Marr when he was 11 years old and played in bands, including Freak Party with the guitarist. The two later co-founded The Smiths in 1982, along with drummer Mike Joyce and singer Morrissey. Following the demise of The Smiths in 1987, Rourke continued playing and collaborating with several artists, including The Pretenders, Killing Joke, and even Morrissey. Rourke also played on Sinéad O’Connor’s second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. In 2022, Marr and Rourke reunited for their first collaboration in more than 35 years on the Blitz Vega song “Strong Forever.” Read more HERE.
Tina Turner
November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023
The Queen of rock and roll, Tina Turner died on May 24 at age 83 after a long illness. Turner’s career spanned more than five decades from her earlier days performing with ex-husband Ike Turner in the mid-’50s through her solo career, from 1974 debut Tina Turns the Country On! through her blockbuster 1984 release Private Dancer and hits “What’s Love Got to Do with It” and the title track, penned by Dire Straits‘ Mark Knopfler. Turner released her tenth album Twenty Four Seven in 1999 and retired from music a decade later. Read more HERE.
Check out 5 Songs You Didn’t Know Tina Turner Wrote HERE.
Tony Bennett
August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023
A master of jazz, standards, big band, show tunes, pop, and beyond, Tony Bennett died July 21 at 96. Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926, in Queens, New York, to father John, who worked as a grocer, and mother, Anna, a seamstress, Bennett began gravitating toward singing and painting at a young age. After the death of his father when Bennett was just 10, it wasn’t long before he began singing and waiting tables to help his family survive. After serving in the Army for three years, Bennett returned and focused on his singing career in 1949 and released his first hit, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” in 1951. Read more HERE.
Sinéad O’Connor
December 8, 1966 – July 26, 2023
On July 26, Sinéad O’Connor died at 56. In 1987, O’Connor released her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, which was followed by her 1990 release, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, and her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U. O’Connor released her tenth and final album, I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss, in 2014 and was working on new music before her death. In 2022, O’Connor was also the subject of the Showtime documentary, Nothing Compares. Her death came just 18 months after the death of her 17-year-old son Shane in January 2022. Read more HERE.
Robbie Robertson
July 5, 1943 – August 9, 2023
By the mid-’60s Robbie Robertson emerged from rockabilly icon Ronnie Hawkins’ backing band, the Hawks, and was already writing songs that would define The Band‘s Americana lineage. Robertson’s lyrics penetrated the core of the band with classics like “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek,” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” Following The Band’s demise after The Last Waltz, Robertson started scoring films—including many by friend director Martin Scorsese—and released six solo albums, from his self-titled debut in 1987 to Sinematic in 2019. Robertson died on August 9 at 80. Read more HERE.
Check out 4 Songs You Didn’t Know Robbie Roberston Wrote for Other Artists HERE.
Ray Hildebrand
Dec. 21, 1940 – August 18, 2023
Before Ray Hildebrand first met his future singing partner, Jill Jackson, both were attending Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, and called themselves Ray and Jill. They eventually had a string of hits, including “Something Old, Something New,” “First Quarrel,” “First Day Back at School,” and “Young Lovers.,” along with their biggest hit “Hey Paula.” Released in 1963 on their debut album Paul & Paula Sing for Young Lovers, “Hey Paula” went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Hildebrand died in Kansas City, Missouri on August 18 at age 82. Read more HERE.
Faye Fantarrow
April 28, 2002 – August 26, 2023
British singer and songwriter Faye Fantarrow died on August 26 at the age of 21 following a year-long battle with a rare Glioma brain tumor. A Sunderland, England native, Fantarrow began recording her debut EP, AWOL, in August of 2022, with producer and mentor, Eurythmics‘ Dave Stewart, when she was first diagnosed with a brain tumor. At the age of 8, Fantarrow also battled leukemia, which returned when she was 13. In between starting treatment for the brain tumor in early 2023, Fantarrow started releasing songs from AWOL, just months before her death. Read more HERE.
Jimmy Buffett
December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023
For nearly 60 years, Jimmy Buffett’s lyrics stretched from country music to the easy listening and sunnier disposition of his countless compositions with the Coral Reefer Band. Through hundreds of songs, spanning more than 30 albums, Buffett helped listeners flee their day-to-day lives and transport themselves somewhere else with his iconic anthem “Margaritaville,” along with songs like “Why Don’t We Get Drunk,” “Come Monday,” “A Pirate Looks at Forty,” “Volcano,” and dozens more. Buffett died after a long battle with skin cancer on September 1 at the age of 76. Read more HERE.
Check out 3 Songs You Didn’t Know Jimmy Buffett Wrote for Other Artists HERE.
Gary Wright
April 26, 1943 – September 4, 2023
The singer, songwriter, and keyboardist known for his 1975 hit songs “Dream Weaver” and “Love is Alive,” Gary Wright died on September 4 at 80. Born on April 26, 1943, in Creeskill, New Jersey, Wright first broke out with the British rock band Spooky Tooth. In 1970, George Harrison also invited Wright to play on his solo album All Things Must Pass album, and ended up playing piano and organ on the entire album. Wright continued releasing music as a solo artist while segueing into more film soundtracks by the early ’80s and even re-recorded “Dream Weaver” for the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World. Along with performing with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band on tour in 2008, 2010, and 2011, Wright also released his final solo album, Connected, in 2010. Read more HERE.
Steve Harwell
January 9, 1967 – September 4, 2023
Former Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell died on September 4 from liver failure at age 56. Harwell remained with Smash Mouth from the band’s inception in 1994. Harwell sang on Smash Mouth hits “Walkin’ on the Sun” and “All Star” and remained with the band from their 1997 debut Fush Yu Mang through their seventh, Magic, in 2012 before retiring in 2021. Read more HERE.
Rudolph Isley
April 1, 1939 – October 11, 2023
The Isley Brothers originally formed in the Cincinnati area in the mid-1950s by four Isley siblings O’Kelly, Rudolph, Ronald, and Vernon. After temporarily splitting up following the death of Vernon in 1955 at age 13, they regrouped in 1957 and moved to New York City where they found chart success with their 1959 classic “Shout,” written by Rudolph, O’Kelly, and Ronald. “Twist and Shout” followed in 1962 along with other hits including “I Turned You On” (1969), “Pop That Thang” (1972), “That Lady” (1973), and more. Rudolph died at age 84 on October 11. Before his death, brothers O’Kelly died in 1986 and Marvin Isley died in 2010. Read more HERE.
Kevin “Geordie” Walker
December 18, 1958 – November 26, 2023
Founding member of Killing Joke, guitarist Kevin “Geordie” Walker died November 26 at the age of 64. Walker played guitar for the post-punk/goth rock pioneers and wrote many of the band’s songs including “Love Like Blood.” Geordie joined Killing Joke in 1979 after answering an ad singer Jaz Coleman placed in Melody Maker. He and Coleman were the sole constant members of Killing Joke throughout the years. The guitarist died on November 26 at age 64. Read more HERE.
Shane MacGowan
December 25, 1957 – November 30, 2023
Former frontman and songwriter for The Pogues, Shane MacGowan was once called one of the best lyricists of the 20th century by The Clash‘s Joe Strummer. His gutter-drenched vocals and lyrics penetrated the early ’80s London punk scene and the traditional Irish folk along with The Pogues’ stories of degenerates, outcasts, political oppression, and bygone days. MacGowan left the band in 1991 and first reunited with the band in 2001 and continued playing with them through 2014. MacGowan died after several years of illness on November 30 at age 65.
At MacGowan’s funeral in Ireland on December 8, The Pogues reunited to perform “The Parting Glass” for their fallen frontman. Read more HERE.
Denny Laine
October 29, 1944 – December 5, 2023
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Denny Laine co-founded The Moody Blues and Wings, before embarking on his solo career. Also a songwriter, Laine contributed to both bands including contributing several songs to Wings, including “No Words” and “Time to Hide.” Laine died on December 5 in Naples, Florida at age 79, 50 years after the Wings released their iconic album Band on the Run. Read more HERE.
Photo: Jimmy Buffett by Noam Galai/Getty Images
